Part 2 of our continuing series: I’m Pissed!

A new study by Malka, Soto, Cohen, and Miller (2010) suggests that Christianity, and religiosity more generally, leads to political conservatism, which in turn leads to opposition to “social welfare.” On the other hand, these same religious scruples relate to a desire to help those less fortunate. These two pathways, the authors suggest, might be accounted for by “competing influences rooted in a combination of personality processes and contextual-discursive surroundings.” I wonder then, if the House Republicans’ desire to repeal the health-care bill reflects a belief that Christ would do the same thing in the same situation (contextual-discursive surroundings), or if they are just power-hungry, with eyes on the White House (personality processes)?

To steal a line from Peter Griffin of Family Guy, the Republicans “really grind my gears!” The Republicans aren’t the only ones that rub me the wrong way when it comes to health care, of course. Insurance companies like Aetna, specifically, do too. While the previsions of the new health-care bill slowly come into effect, Aetna and other insurance providers do all they can to take advantage of needy consumers. In some cases, they do so by jacking-up premiums. Other times, they do it by denying coverage to pregnant women, because, apparently, an unknown conception occurring a week before coverage begins is a “preexisting condition.” While the new health-care bill will eventually prevent similar drops due to “preexisting conditions,” the House Republicans have promised to do all they can to let the insurance companies continue to act like money-lusting hornswogglers. That’s right. The Republicans with their “Christian conservative values” seem to be taking advantage of the once Democratic majority’s dying quivers in an attempt to kill the bill’s remaining provisions and implement their own version of a health-care bill designed simply to add cash to the already-lined pocks of the insurance companies. While there is little hope for the Republicans evil plan to do so in the short term, due to the Democratic Senate Majority and President Obama’s veto pen, the fact that they are trying proves one thing: the Republicans are a bunch of hypocritical dicks interested more in defeating Obama in a 2012 election than helping the less fortunate receive health care. As f’ed up as their actions might be, I bet if you asked the Republicans, they would tell you that they are just doing what Christ would do.